Overview

• The change applies starting with Word for Windows Version 2509 (Build 19221.20000), making cloud saving the out‑of‑the‑box behavior for new documents.
• Users can turn off AutoSave or set a different default location in settings, including other cloud services, a local drive, or a network share.
• New files created under the default receive the current date as a temporary name until the first manual save and rename by the user.
• When closing an unsaved document, Word prompts to keep or discard the content, and empty files are discarded without a prompt.
• Microsoft disclosed two AutoSave bugs affecting some sessions: failure to save the first file if the start screen is disabled and failure for newly created files when a second Word instance is opened.